Centre, Manipur govt, Kuki-Zo groups sign agreement; NH-2 to be opened

The Centre and Manipur governments have signed a fresh agreement with Kuki-Zo groups on Thursday (September 4, 2025) in which all sides agreed to maintain the territorial integrity of Manipur, open National Highway-2 for free movement, and relocate militants camps.

The pact was in limbo since February 29, 2024, when Manipur Government pulled out of the agreement.

A tripartite meeting among representatives of MHA, Govt. of Manipur, and Kuki National Organisation(KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF), held in New Delhi concluded with the signing of a tripartite Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement on re-negotiated terms and conditions (ground rules) to be effective from the day of signing of the Agreement for a period of one year, a government source told The Hindu.

The move comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expected visit to Manipur in the second week of September, as reported by The Hindu. This will be the Prime Minister’s first visit since May 2023 when ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern State.

The KNO and UPF have also agreed to relocate seven designated camps away from areas vulnerable to conflict, reduce the number of designated camps, and surrender the weapons.

The MHA said the Kuki-Zo groups have agreed for stringent physical verification of cadres by Indian Security Forces to de-list foreign nationals.

The parties agreed upon the need for a negotiated solution to bring lasting peace and stability to Manipur.

NH-2 to be opened

The Kuki-Zo Council has decided to open the National Highway-2 for the free movement of commuters and essential goods. The decision came after a series of meetings between MHA officials and a delegation of Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) in the last few days at New Delhi.

The KZC has given commitment to cooperate with Indian security forces to maintain peace along NH-2, an MHA statement said.